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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29624844">Time to Spare</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Willowfairy/pseuds/Willowfairy'>Willowfairy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Drunken Confessions, F/M, Hermione is very patient, She also knows EXACTLY what she wants</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 18:21:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,079</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29624844</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Willowfairy/pseuds/Willowfairy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Draco gets drunk enough to finally tell Hermione how he really feels, and once he starts talking he finds it impossible to stop.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>95</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Finished Reading, Silly Love Songs</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Time to Spare</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">



        <li>In response to a prompt by
            Anonymous in the <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Silly_Love_Songs">Silly_Love_Songs</a>
          collection.
        </li>
    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>
  <strong>Prompt:</strong>
</p>
<p>I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston</p>
<p>While writing another work, this little plot bunny refused to lie down and be quiet. Draco will always love Hermione, but he thinks he doesn't deserve her. Drunken ramblings commence.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“So yeah. I guess that’s it.” Draco said, rubbing the back of his neck, discomfort visible in every line of his body. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He looked at the woman standing in front of him, her elegant blue velvet dress clinging to every curve of her body. It was the faint sparkle that had caught his eye tonight. Constellations studded the entire dress, but only to a studied eye. And the one worked across her heart had made him shoot the expensive whiskey in his glass like it was the swill they served in a pub when it registered. The liquor he had consumed as he struggled to stay away from her, to just watch her from afar like he always did, was a bit too effective at helping him relax. When she stepped out onto the terrace alone, he had been like a moth to the flame.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And so he had confessed. She listened silently, eyes wide at what could only be called a rant about her- how her sharp wit and subtly caustic quips to those who annoyed her impressed him on a regular basis, the smell of her perfume lingered in his nose hours after she left, how the curly mass on her head she called hair was like a homing beacon, and he hated when she put it up like it was tonight, by the way. That he instinctively searched any room he entered looking for her and if she wasn’t present it felt like a slice on his soul. When she was there, he told her, he had to struggle to contain his elation, to maintain his cool even while he was giddy inside. He craved her attention like an addict craved their favorite substance - too many days without seeing her made him surly and snappish. The two month sabbatical she had taken to Wales had nearly been his undoing, and he had almost caused three secretaries to quit because of his foul temper. It had taken Blaise </span>
  <em>
    <span>literally </span>
  </em>
  <span>punching him in the face to realign his priorities and that’s why his eyes had still been slightly bruised when she came back. He hadn’t healed it because touching it and making it hurt was the only way he could keep his focus until he knew she was back in London. He had gifted the Potter’s with prepaid dinner reservations “he couldn’t use” to a swanky restaurant so he could offer to go and feed her cat just so he could be there when she got home. So he could see her first.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then she had shown up here tonight on Weasley’s arm and he told her that it had felt like taking the Dark Mark all over again. That speckle-faced git had never treated her right, she had complained to him enough about it, hadn’t she? The Weasel never listened and was intimidated by her intelligence, which Draco himself wasn’t, by the way, he found it incredibly sexy when she lectured. He was turned on every time she corrected someone, including himself, and if she went into full lecture mode he would have to escape into his private office for a wank after. For her to go back to him after all this time, too, was also insanity at its finest. Just last week she told him that she had found Weasel’s trek through half of London’s resident female population that was of age and interested in Quidditch players was repulsive. Frankly, he didn’t know what anyone saw in the idiot, with that horrendous orange hair sticking up all over the place. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At that point he realized his drink was gone, so he banished the glass and now had both hands with which to gesticulate wildly, which he did. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Because she continued to stand there and listen. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He told her he was addicted to her attention, craved it, he was a spoiled child that way, but she continued to listen so he kept talking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He told her it was the longest he could remember having her attention solely on himself in months - since that party at Potter’s when she had gotten drunk and he had escorted her home because he was a gentleman, and then they had sat on her couch laughing until three am when she finally fell asleep with her head on his chest and he hadn’t moved for hours until she had woken a bit and then he helped her into bed before leaving. He had only watched her sleep for a few minutes, which wasn’t creepy even if Theo says it was. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So he told her again that he craved her attention, sought it out purposefully because he wasn’t sure he could go more than two or three days without talking to her anymore. That weekends were the worst because while Molly had </span>
  <em>
    <span>said</span>
  </em>
  <span> he could come to the Burrow for Sunday lunch, it still felt weird because, well, the war and all, and he really was sorry for all the stupid shit he had done. He says he knows he’s told her that a few times, but he wants to be sure that she really gets it and that if he could go back and keep her from ever getting hurt he would. But that would require a time-turner and might cause even more issues if he didn’t get things just right, so it’s best that things just keep on, but, </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he wishes it had been different.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Because he loves her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’s loved her for as long as he can remember. The first time he saw her, he knew something about her was different. On the train when she was looking for Longbottom’s stupid frog, or toad, or whatever the hell it was. What matters was that he felt it then, but hadn’t known what it was. Then he let all of his stupid get in the way, has let it be in his way for decades. Has kept his mouth shut because Death Eaters don’t deserve the happy ending when they did everything they could to destroy that same ending for others. He didn’t deserve an ounce of her attention or affection, he should just go back home, leave her to her happiness with the git she had walked in with.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But he couldn’t.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Because he loved her and always would. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He knew that now, he said. He had tried to fight it, to drink it away, fuck it away with other women, but it never worked. Every single time he came, he saw her in his mind. Had really screwed up when he accidentally said her name while he was with some other bint over a year ago. Realized it when said bint slapped him and left. He hadn’t been with anyone else since. Kept up appearances, but didn’t actually follow through. Made it look good for the papers, keep his mother off his back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And you know what? Fuck his family, come to think of it. He didn’t care what they thought anymore. He’d been head of the family since Lucius was locked away and no one had a right to question his decisions as it was. He was in charge and to hell with what society thought. He was in love with Potter’s muggle born and had been since she punched him in the face in third year. The Yule Ball had been torture, watching her with that Bulgarian prick. He had seen him kiss her, in the hall after, because he had followed her. If it had gone any further that night, he may have hexed the other man.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He knew she had been with other men, of course. He didn’t fault her for that. She was a strong, confident woman who deserved pleasure and love and affection. But Michael Corner? Really? That wet-rag couldn’t have pleased her the way she deserved. The man had all the personality of a flobber-worm, so what in the hell had she seen in him anyway? He had been so glad when she dumped him, and then ended up in HIS kitchen for a drunken pick-me-up because he was such a good friend.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And fuck that, too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t want to be her friend anymore. He wanted to kiss her, spend every night with his face buried between her thighs, making her scream his name. He was good at oral, he knew it, and he’d show her if she gave him a chance. His cock was also impressive, or so he’d been told. He’d share it with her, if she wanted. He definitely wanted to.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>If she would let him, he wouldn’t just give her his cock, though, he would give her the world. Money was no object. Anything she wanted would be hers. He had the power and the connections to see that every dream, every wish, every desire would be met. He would dress her in the finest silks because nothing else should touch her skin. She deserved only the best, and to hell with anyone who disagreed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But if she didn’t want any of that- he stopped a moment. Books! He had a library. More than one, actually. The Manor library was her favorite, he had already brought her there. If she would be his, it would be hers. Every single book. And he would buy her more. He would fill the entire house with books if it made her happy. He would do anything to make her happy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Because he loved her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Had he mentioned that yet? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He loved the freckles on her nose, that scar on her wrist that she thought she hid so well, the other one that circled her torso he had seen when they had to get cleaned up after that potion explosion in his lab that one time. He said he wouldn’t look, but fuck, he wasn’t really a gentleman. It had just been a peek and he had spent the rest of the damn afternoon trying to hide a raging erection because she had been wearing a navy blue bra and panty set. It was his favorite color, reminded him of an inky night sky. He loved the stars, so cold and distant. Which reminded him. That dress. Did she realize what she was doing to him in that dress? It was like a second skin and he had almost fallen to his knees in front of her in worship when she had walked in. The only thing that had stopped him was the knowledge that she would have been embarrassed by his actions, and he never wanted her to be uncomfortable.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He stepped closer at that, unable to keep his hand from reaching toward her. He traced the constellation over her heart. Draco. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Did she know? Had she realized it when she put the dress on? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Probably not, because he had never told her. Had always walked away when he got too close to speaking, because she didn’t deserve the baggage that he came with.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even if he knew he would love her until his last breath.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The words finally stopped pouring from his mouth. He took a step back, rubbing the back of his neck as he came back to himself and realized what he had just done.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She just stood there, eyes on him. He took another step back, towards the stairs that led down to the garden.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll just go. I- I’m sorry, Hermione.” He said, voice hoarse. He turned and took two steps.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Draco Lucius Malfoy, do you honestly think you’re just going to walk away after what you just said to me?” Her voice was sharp and he cringed. He turned and watched as she reached into the bodice of her dress and pulled out a small vial. She threw it to him, and even in his drunken state his reflexes were quick. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sober-up. I figured Ron would need it at some point this evening to keep from devolving into a complete arse.” She replied. Draco popped the cork and downed it. She watched him with a shrewd gaze. “You didn’t smell it first.” she observed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I trust you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t trust anyone.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t trust anyone but you.” he repeated, feeling the haze of the liquor he had consumed burn off. The implications of what he had just done began to sink in just as quickly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Feeling more like yourself?” she asked and he nodded. “Good, because there are a few things I’d like to address.” Her face was impassive, her tone cool. Draco winced internally.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“First, when making declarations to a woman, it’s wise to make sure she has a chance to respond at some point.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Noted.” Draco replied, heart sinking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I would also recommend easing off the liquid courage in the future. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought you had been dosed with Veritaserum.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know I’m an Occlumens, I’m immune to it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Which is why I haven’t given you an antitoxin to counter it.” Hermione replied. “Now as to the content of your confession.” she said and this time, Draco visibly cringed. “What makes you think that you get to decide what I do and do not deserve in terms of a partner? You said you appreciate and admire my intellect, then turn around and say that I don’t deserve you in the next breath. That’s tantamount to calling me an idiot.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know that’s not what I meant.” Draco blurted and Hermione fixed him with a look and he shut his mouth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t think that’s what you meant, but moving on to my next point. I know you don’t care for Ron, but he is still one of my closest friends even when he’s being a colossal git. I guess you were too deep into your own pity party to notice that he’s not even here anymore.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s not?” Draco’s brow furrowed, trying to remember if he had seen the man leave.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No. He escorted me tonight because I promised one of the girls at work that I would introduce the two of them. She’s a fan and thinks she may be able to make him stick around. I told her she was crazy, but I owed her a favor and she called it in. Ron took one look at her dress and they vanished five minutes later. He and I may have been each other’s first loves, but that ship has long sailed. He’s happy screwing around, and I’m happier because I don’t have to put up with his crap. He wasn’t the greatest boyfriend, but he’s always been a very good friend, so I won’t hear you malign him any longer.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll try.” Draco muttered and she gifted him with a smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s all I can ask for. So on to my next point. You say you want to give me the world. When have I ever cared about material things?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Never.” Draco replied, his voice low, shame for being so shallow washing through him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Money has never been a motivator for me. I just want a partner who will be there, for the good days and the bad nights. I also don’t need multiple libraries to make me happy.” Hermione continued as she took a step towards him. “I just need someone who will be there every day, who will challenge my mind, and love me for who I am, not what they wish I was.” Draco looked up sharply to meet her eyes. A soft smile traced her lips and he felt the faintest flicker of hope ignite in the ashes of his soul. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hermione.” Her name was like a prayer on his lips as she stepped even closer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Want to know my secret?” she asked and he nodded fervently. She stood on tiptoes to get closer to his ear, hands lightly resting on his chest. He bent his head, catching her scent, almost overwhelmed by the heat he could feel from her body. “I feel the same about you.” she whispered in his ear. She leaned back and met his eyes, waiting while her words processed in his brain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She felt- she felt the </span>
  <em>
    <span>same</span>
  </em>
  <span>? His jaw dropped and she smiled, the one that always made his heart skip a beat when it was directed at him. He ran a shaky hand through his hair as he stared at her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I- but- you-” he stammered, unable to get the words out. Her smile grew and she gently fixed his tie where he had tugged it loose at some point in his drunken ramblings.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, Draco.” She said gently and he felt his knees go weak. His eyes zeroed in on her lips and he would have kissed her if not for the finger she placed on his to stop him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Please.” he begged.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t let you kiss me.” she said and he felt like his heart had been ripped from his chest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why?” his voice was hoarse.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Because if I kiss you now, I won’t stop until I have that impressive cock you mentioned buried deep inside me, which would be a problem considering I have to give a speech in,” she checked the delicate silver watch he had given her for her last birthday, “approximately five minutes. It will take precisely seven minutes and forty-five seconds to deliver that speech. Now, once I’m done, I will spend another ten minutes speaking to various people as I make my way to the exit. Harry will cover for us both when I tell him to because he owes me multiple favors. Once I leave the main hall, I will meet you by the floo or at the apparition point.” She raised a brow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Apparition.” he replied. “Quicker and you won’t get nauseous.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then I will meet you there in twenty-five minutes. I expect you to be in me in twenty-seven.” She glanced down. “Though you may want to go around the front to meet me, as I think that will be rather difficult to conceal.” She gave him a sultry smile as she stepped back, crossing to the doors. “Oh, and Draco?” he turned. “I wore this tonight because I knew you would like it.” She ran a hand down the skirt, adjusting the folds before looking back up. “But you may also want to know that I’m not wearing anything underneath it.” With that, she went back inside. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When she exited the ballroom twenty three minutes later, he was waiting. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Draco met her deadline, with time to spare. </span>
</p>
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